Power-transmitting mechanism.



L. K`ULMA.. POWER TRANSMITTING MECHANISM.

Amlcmom man oerA u. 1917. f

Patented Sept. 24, 1918.

2 shears-SHEET 1.

Lem-,55a

E m mf W L'. KULMA.

POWER'TRANSMITTING MEQHANISM.

APPUcATloN FILED o cT. H. 1941.

l 27 9, 556 Patented Sept. 24, 1918.

2 SHEETS*SHEET 2.

d, fifi" LOUIS kunnen, 'or Borrero, NEW 'Yorin'.

Specicaton of Letters. Patent.

A POWBi-TRANSMITTING IMECIIINIHISLGZ.

' rai/tenten sept. ea, raie.

' Application led October 11,1917. Serial No. 196,054.l v

' groundwheel or wheels by which the vehicle is steered.

The' objects ofthe invention are to produce a 'mechanism-of this kind of improved construction in which the power is so transmitted tothe wheel -or wheels as not to in'- terfere in any way with the steering of the vehicle; also to so constructV a lmechanismof this kind as to materially reduce the 'frictional losses in the mechanismf. also to im-V prove mechanism of this kind in other respects hereinafter speciied.

In the accompanying drawings:

' Figure 1 is aside elevation of a'motor driven vehicle provided'with a Vpower trans- -mission mechanism embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation thereof.

Fig. i is a fragmentary sectional side elevation thereof, on an enlarged scale, on line 4-4,`Fig. 5.'

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary transverse sectional elevation Athereof on line 5-5, Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a sectional .plan view thereof on line 6 6, Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a detached view showing the driving wheel or gear` partly in section, and the driven shaft.

Figs. -8 and 9 are fragmentary sectional views of thepokwer transmitting gear, on a' larger scale, on lines 8-8 and 9-9, respectively, Fig. 7 l 1 Fig. 10 is a fragmentary detaciedview of a driving pinofthe power transmitting gear and a driven disk of modified construction.

The accompanying drawii'igs show a power transmitting mechanism lembodying the -invent-ionapplied to a truck having a front wheel by means of which the truck is steered and to which power is transmitted for driving the truck. The invention may, however, be applied to a vehicle of any other kind and is not limited t-o be used on trucks.

A. represents the .frame of the truck hav-w ing an upwardly 4extending portion e at its front end and having its rear end supported on two wheels a'. The truck may be driven byvtny suitable means, such asa motor l suit: bly mounted on the frame'of the truck'.

C represent-s the front wheel of the truck by means of whicht-hetruck is steered and.

which is connectedwith the motor for propelling the truck. `,The front wheel is preferably .journaled in a steering frame or` forked'meinber 0 of any suitable construction which is pivotally connected with the frontv portion of thel frame of the truck. This pivotal` connection.y may be of any suitable kind, that `shown including 'an upper pivotal bearing-comprising a pin c rigidly secured to theupper end of the forked member c and extending through a vertical bearing member 02 rigidly securedI to the front end a of the frame of the-truck, and

lower pivotalbearing for bracing the lower port-ion of the forked member c, includinr a bar c3 connecting the sides of the forked member o and pivoted at c4 to arms ci extending forwardly from.l the frame of the truck. 1

The fork may be turned about its pivotal connections with the' frame tosteer the vehicle by'any suitable means, siich as a handle c6 which, in the construction shown, is

rigidly ysecured to the upper portion ofthe pin c. The steering handle -rnay be connect-ed to any other portion of the forked member ci Power is transmitted from. the motor-B by means of a sprocket 'chain a? which' engages with a sprocket -wheel D which forms the driving memberl of the vpower transmitting mechanism. IThe sprocketor driving wheel D is substantiallyannularA in shape, having a hollow central portion throughl which'the y*driven shaft? E ofthe power transmitting wmechanism extends and is `journa'ledin a'iiXed part of the truck frame.

-Bor ythis purpose the truck frame is provided at its front end with a bearing frame for the driving gear D, which, in the construction shown,k comprises two members d al of substantially U-sh'ape, preferably made` of angle iron, and secured at their upper portions to the truckf frame. The annular driving member D is journaled in any suitable manner, for example, by means of -ball bearings d2 engaging in ball races in bearing members @Z3 secured to. the bearing frame members d d'. Y

The annular driving member 'D of the `mechanism transmits power to the shaft E by means of pins or projections F which extend inwardly from the driving gear D and which are adapted to engage with a projection on the shaft E for transmitting rotary movement from the driving member D to the shaft E, the projection in the'construction shown being in the lform of a disk or wheel G which is rotatably mounted ina longitudinal slot g in the shaft E. The

driving member D is preferably constructed in two parts, namely, an outer annular rim portion t having .sprocket teeth adapted to engage with the sprocket chain d, .and Van inner annular portion zhaving radial holes or sockets in which the pins F are arranged.y

The pins are vpreferably provided with heads f arranged in enlarged portions it? of the radial holes. which prevent the pins from moving inwardly toward the center of the driving member D.' The pins F are held against outward movement in the oppos'te direction by the outer rim portion tof Je driving member D. IThe pins are preferably rotatably mounted in the radial holes of the inner member L of the driving member so that they are free to rotate together in any suitable manner to hold the pins F inplace, screws h3 being shown in the construction illustrated which engage in threaded holes in the p-arts L h. Power transmitting pins of any other suitable construction may be employed if desired.

The cooperating portions of the driving pins F and the wheel or disk G are preferalbly so-made as to give the pins the maximum contact on the wheel. This may be done yas shown in Figs. 4 to 8` by making the opposite faces of thedisk flat and pro'- viding the pins F with tapering innerend portions, or, as shown in Fig. 10, by -beveling the outer contacting edges o f the disk as shown at z' and providing plns l, the.

outer ends of which are substantially cylindrical.

By means of the construction described the forked member c and the shaft E journaled therein are free to swing about their pivotal connection with the frame of the truck, and the pins F will continue to transmit powerto the shaft E in all positions thereof. The shaftY E maywbe connected Laagste 'that the transmission of power to the front wheel does not in any way affect the steering of the truck.

lf desired, a lamp L may be secured to the upper pivot pin c. The lamp will then be turned with the fork c so that the light .will always be. thrown in the4 direction' in which the truck is moving.

l claim as my invention: 1. The combination wlth a vehicle frame and a steering frame member pivotally mounted thereon, a rotary member journaled on the vehicle, frame, a shaft extendin through said rotary member and ]o"urnale in said steering member, a part on sald shaft rotatable in a plane substantially parallel to the axis of said shaft, and means on said v rotary member engagingsaid part.

2. -The combination with a vehicle frame and a steering frame member pivotally mounted thereon, a rotary member ournaled on the vehicle frame, a shaft exten'-g through said rotary member and iournaled in said steering member, a part on said shaft rotatable in a plane substantiallyl paralleltoy the axis of said shaft, and means ivo :n: mounted on said rotary member an adapted to engage said'part to transmit 'rotation from .said rotary member to said shaft. 3. rlhe combination with a vehicle my a W. and a steeringv frame member pivotally mounted thereon, an annular rotary member journaled on saidvehicle frame, a shaft extending through said rotary member and journaled in said steering member a projecting part on said shaft, and parts extending inwardly rom said )annular mem- -ber and adapted o engage said `projecting part of the shaft to transmit rotation from said annular member to said shaft, said inwardly extending. parts ofthe` annular member being rotatable relatively to said member.l

4. The. combination with a vehicle frame and a steering frame member pivotally mounted thereon,an annular rotary member journaled on'said vehicle frame, a shaft extending through said rotary member and journaled in said steering member, a disk pivotally mounted on said shaft, and parts on said annular member extending inwardly therefrom and adapted lto engage saiddisk for transmitting rotation from said annular member to said shaft'. l

5.v 'lhe combination with a vehicle frame a steering* frame member pivotally journaled in said steering member, `a disk pivotally mounted on said shaft, 'and parts extending, inwardly from said annular member and'adapted to engage said disk for transmitting rotation 'from said. annular member to said disk, said parts being rotatablymounted on said annular member to produce a rolling contact with said disk.

6. The` combination with a vehicle frame and a 'steering frame member pivotally mounted thereon, an annular rotary member journaled on said vehicle frame, a shaft extending through said rotary member and journaled in said' steering member, a disk pivotall-y mounted on said shaft, and pins pivotally mounted in said annular member and projecting inwardly therefrom, said pins being adapted to engage 'said disk to transmit rotation from said annular member to said shaft.

7. The combina-tion With a vehicle frame and a steering frame member pivotallyv mounted thereon, an annular rotary member journaled on the Vehicle frame, a shaft extending through said rotary member and journaled in said steering member, and pins journaled in said annular member and adapted to engage parts o'said shaft for causing said annular member to rotate said shaft whereby thepins have a rolling contact with said shaft.

8. The combination with a vehicle .frame and a steering frame member pivotally mounted thereon, an annular rotary member journaled on the vehicle frame, a shaft eX- tendin through Said rotary member and journa ed in said steering member, said rotary member including an inner annular portion and an outer portion secured to the inner portion, and pins journaled in said inner portion and adapted to engage parts of said shaft for imparting rotation from said rotary member to said shaft, the outer ends onlyof said pins contacting. With the inner periphery of said outer portion to hold the ins against outward movement.

,Witness my hand, this 9th day of October,

LOUIS f Witnesses:

FELIX E. PRooHNoW, A. L. MCGEE. Y 

